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Bubblehead: Do you play? Bill

Bill,

No, although I wish I did. I play guitar a lot and grew up playing trombone, organ and drums. Always loved the sound and feel of a piano but never set time aside to learn it. Like most kids growing up in the 60's Rock and Roll got my attention and I bought a $50 guitar and started playing. 40 years later I still am!

How about you?

John
 
Innodyn

Jim,
Is Innodyn active in their turbine package development? The website shows latest news as of April 2007.

Thanks,
Chuck Borne
RV-4 - N353CB
 
Innodyn

They are trying to work out some internal management problems. I think they will be coming together soon.

My 1st 8 sits in a hangar waiting for the engine to return. My hope is we get it soon, if not this fall I will get a piston and get it back to flying status. Meanwhile the 2nd 8 should be flying soon. Need to hang the wings, finish wiring and paint her. Can't wait!!
 
N97JT'S PANEL

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WAIT .....THERE'S MORE ROOM!
 
Why is it that everyone seems to install mechanical Airspeed and Altimeter gauges in panels with full EFIS screens? Is it an IFR thing (to have a TSO'ed altimeter or something)?

I'm planning a VFR only panel with an AFS3500 and no other dials. Am I missing something?
 
Backup, Backup, Backup

Why is it that everyone seems to install mechanical Airspeed and Altimeter gauges in panels with full EFIS screens? Is it an IFR thing (to have a TSO'ed altimeter or something)?

I'm planning a VFR only panel with an AFS3500 and no other dials. Am I missing something?

To me, nothing more than backup in case of catastrophic electrical failure.
I plan on having steam ASI ALT VSI and a compass. EFIS yet to be determined but am currently leaning to MGL Voyager. I am still a couple 3 years from writing a check. MGL should also have black box Comm units by then. No panel space needed.
 
Why is it that everyone seems to install mechanical Airspeed and Altimeter gauges in panels with full EFIS screens?
In the UK we have to... In fact, I tend to use them more anyway than the EFIS ones - much easier to read / interpret.

Also, if you place them correctly, they can easily be seen from the back...

Andy & Ellie Hill
RV-8 G-HILZ
www.g-hilz.co.uk
 
N486JT

Here is a pic of my latest and hopefully last(at least for a little while anyway) panel in my newest RV8. After building a super panel for 3JT(RV6A), a minimalist panel for 4JT(RV8), an IFR panel in 5JT(RV8 modified for the person who bought it). I have come up with what I believe, after considerable experience flying these planes, the ultimate bang for the buck panel.

Fire away!





 
Jon,

I see you are using a "Panel Dock" for your 496. It appears to be tilted "up". Do you have a sketch for your bracket? How much did you tilt it? Was this angle based on experience?

JB
 
Here is a picture of the newly "lit up" panel in my RV-8. The panel features a Vertical Power VP-200 electrical system. Installation was very straighforward with the control unit installed in the "well" in the forward baggage compartment. The standard Vans RV-8 panel would not accomodate the Dynon D-180 and the display unit for the VP-200 within the vertical dimensions. Experimental Air fabricated a panel with the center widened by one inch in order to make it work. In addition to the Dynon and VP-200 the panel has a Becker 4201 Com, GNS-430W, GTX-300 Mode S Transponder, PS Engineering PMA-900EX audio panel, TruTrak ADI as the back up horizon, TruTrak Digiflight II VSGV 2 axis autopilot, GPS-496 in the Air Gizmo docking station and "steam" backup altimeter and airspeed.

panelzm0.jpg
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Tom - you beat me! Nice job, I like the custom panel with the little extension.

Here's my panel, I guess basic VFR, Dynon and Garmin both lit up. In the UK we have to have ASI, altimeter and compass (way over on the left).

G-meter will be visible to a passenger, radio and transponder below that. Back up engine gauges on the right, tho probably only the tachometer would be visible to a passenger. It's designed so that switches I shouldn't need while flying (master, magnetos) are on the right; switches I might need while flying (taxi, landing, position lights, strobe, pitot heat) are on the left. Warning lights onl the left - pitot heat and fuel pump - can be on in flight. Warning lights on the right (canopy lock, Dynon master caution, low volts) should not be on in flight. Finish is black crackle, probably a mistake as its difficult to get lettering to adhere. Oh well, the next one I'll get right. Stick top has flaps, fuel pump, starter and trim.

aghpanelqueryrvbuildingob0.jpg


Chris

Canopy just about complete.
 
RV 6 Panel Scott Penton's N23412

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd186/scottp1111/Picture347.jpg


The above link is a picture of my panel at night. In the panel is of course your standard six pack plus the Dynon D10-A The advanced flight systems engine monitor , a Garmin 496 , the King KMD 150 Moving Map GPS , King Kx155 with King Kt76a transponder. The panel has post lights and also electroluminsent lighting. I will attach also a daylight shot and some aircraft pictures.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd186/scottp1111/Picture112.jpg Daylight shot from outside of panel

Airplane Pictures

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd186/scottp1111/Picture104.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd186/scottp1111/Picture105.jpg
 
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Stick Height

Tom,

I'm curious on your stick height with that extended bottom dash. Does your stick still go under the dash or did you do an "s" bend stick so the stick is in front of the dash?

Ted
 
panel dock

JB
Sorry it took so long to reply.
I'm using the AirGizmo's vertical tilt adapter.
I really like it.

Best regards
Jon
 
tilt adapter

Thanks Jon,

More questions;
- Does the angle seem about right?
- Did your's come pre-painted to match the Panel Dock?

JB

Cowling, panel...
 
Very nice!

I like that panel a lot. Very nicely laid out. I'm changing my panel right now. I had the engine instruments on the left but they're all out now. They're being replaced by a GRT EIS-4000 at the bottom of the area where your radio stack is. I'll add a 430W next year if economic times allow and then move the transponder and 2nd comm radio over under the 430.

There are 4 small black knobs on your right gear tower. Are those lighting rheostats?
 
RV-8 Panel

The four knobs on the right gear tower are lighting rheostats. I used the LC-40 Panel Dimmer that Van's sells. Starting with the top.

1)Engine instruments
2)Flight instruments
3)Avionics
4)Quadrant, switch panel and map lights.
 
Henry,

Nice Job - both Front and Rear! Clean, uncluttered, symmetrical and pleasing both from aesthetic and ergonomic points of view. I don't have much else to add, other than I like it! (oh...and you do need to replace that Van's plastic vent thingy....) :)

Cheers,
Stein
 
bob brown's RV-7A Leeward Air Ranch Ocala FL

img0408sz9.jpg

i am posting this for bob. last years rv flyin at leeward air ranch was well attended. bobs rv came out beautifull. nice functional well thoughtout panel. great exterior too.
 
I finally got around to modifying my quadrant controls on Miss Izzy. The problem with the three-control quadrant is that the friction control can often be too tight on one control and, at the same time be too loose on another. This is especially true when the control cables are older and begin to stiffen up due to the damaging effect of heat in the engine compartment. I recently replaced my mixture and prop control cables. I found that when the friction was adjusted such that the prop and mixture stayed put, the throttle was very difficult to move. This made formation flying a real chore!

I decided to put the prop and mixture on vernier push/pull controls and use the quadrant for throttle only. This setup is common to many modern aerobatic airplanes and after flying with the new setup I am sold! I now have very fine adjustment of both prop and mixture and the familiar feel of a throttle on a quadrant. And no more problems with the friction control.

Here are a few pictures of the installation:

dscn7441fh3.jpg


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Ron
What are the lengths of the prop and mixture cables.
I think I'll just order them and convert like you did, as soon as one of them binds up.
Regards
 
Ron
What are the lengths of the prop and mixture cables.
I think I'll just order them and convert like you did, as soon as one of them binds up.
Regards


They are AC Spruce A-1760 cables. The mixture is 60-inch and the prop is 72-inch. My prop governor is a very old Hartzel unit that doesn't have a reversable control arm, so the cable has to double back on itself. Yours may need to be a lot shorter.
 
Bye Bye Vacuum System, Hello EFIS

On the way back from Oshkosh last year I had my second vacuum pump failure. The pump was a new $700 AEON pump from Sigma Tec which was supposed to last for 2000+ hours (it lasted 200). They did honor the warranty and EFIS systems have advanced so I removed the entire vacuum system and installed a GRT Sport EFIS.

Initially I installed the Magnetometer in the empennage. It is awfully tight back there and I am not as young and flexible as I was in 2000 when the plane was constructed. Two problems popped up with this location... One was the canopy frame, when open, caused a large magnetic disturbance. The other was bad RF interference when transmitting on the comm. radio causing as much as a thirty degree swing in the magnetic heading!!!
I moved the magnetometer into the wingtip. Understatement: Installing a cable from the instrument panel to the wingtip in flying airplane is difficult. The junction between the wing and the fuselage is particularly tricky. Fortunately the magnetometer behaves better there and is much easier to get into the required alignment with the EFIS unit.

I also installed a 3.5 amp/hour battery just ahead of the left landing gear box as an emergency backup for the EFIS. It is charged through a diode and resistor when the avionics bus is on. The diode prevents it from discharging into the avionics bus and the resistor limits the charging to a trickle.

panel_3_09.jpg


Before

panel8_1_06.JPG
 
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New Panel not yet wired

A picture (I hope) of the new arrival. Now just have to make all the connections!
dgatesii
 
The panel was done by Aerotronics out in Montana. Enjoyed working with them very much as they listened closely to what I wanted, offered several very good suggestions, and delivered what seems to be a quite complete package including good documentation. Now I just have to get it all wired into the plane.
 
Dear RV builders. Heres a picture of my almost finished panel. Thanks for a great forum. :)

IMG_2279.JPG


Regards
Christian Thygesen
Denmark
RV-8 QB - status: paint.
 
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Beautiful work gentlemen! Hey Gator, what type seats do you have? And what color leather is that? I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on Classic Aero seats, just looking for the right color material.
 
They are Classic Aero seats.....color is Granite 1510. They were very responsive, on time and did a great job.
I can send a couple of pictures if you want.
 
Sure gator, I'd love to see more pics. I'm having more trouble deciding on upholstery materials and colors than I had deciding on my panel setup.
I think you can send them via private message.
Thanks
 
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